Configuring Oracle Networking on Client Machines

Client machines need to be configured before they can connect to an Oracle database. To configure the client machine, you must first install Oracle client software, which includes Oracle Net software.

This example shows you how to configure a Windows client with local naming, which involves adding a connect descriptor entry to the local tnsnames.ora file. The connect descriptor specifies the host name, protocol address, and service name of the database to connect to.

On Windows, you can use the Oracle Net Manager program to create a new net service entry in your tsnames.ora file as follows:

1. Start Oracle Net Manager by clicking the Start button and then selecting Programs, Oracle, Configuration and Migration Tools, and Net Manager.

2. From the Local tree, select Service Naming and click the plus (+) on the left hand side of the page.

   The Net Service Name Wizard appears.

3. Enter a net service name to identify it. The name you choose will appear under the Service Naming folder. Click Next.

4. Select the protocol to use to connect to your database. For example, you can accept the default of TCP/IP (Internet Protocol). The database listener must be configured to use the same network protocol. Click Next.

5. Enter the host name of the database machine, such as coconuts.island.com, and the port number. Click Next.

6. Enter either the database service name or the database SID. In the Connection Type list, select either Shared Server, Dedicated Server, or Database Default. Shared connections require your database to be running in shared mode. If you choose Dedicated, then the database dedicates a single server process to serve your connection. If you are unsure or would like to use the default database connection type, select Database Default. Click Next.

7. The last screen of the wizard enables you to test the connection by using the information you entered. To do so, click Test. To log in to the database, you can use the SYS user and the password you specified when you configured your database. The wizard tells you if the connection test succeed or not.

8. Click Finish. The new service appears under the Service Naming folder. You can view or modify the configuration for the highlighted service in the Service Identification and Address Configuration sections.

Note that you can additionally run Oracle Net Manager from the command line using netmgr on Windows, Linux, and Unix platforms.